


Midnighter Sun

by Squishychickies



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Birds of Prey (Comic), DCU, Grayson (Comics), Midnighter (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Awkwardness, Barbara Gordon in a Wheelchair, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Bisexual Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Damian Wayne Loves Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne is Robin, Damian Wayne is a Little Shit, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dick Grayson is a Good Brother, Dick Grayson is a Ray of Sunshine, F/M, Gen, Good Older Sibling Dick Grayson, M/M, Wayne Gala (DCU)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27466903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squishychickies/pseuds/Squishychickies
Summary: Damian gets bored and decides to wreak havoc on Dick Grayson's love life. Featuring Dick's current girlfriend Barbara, and Dick's secret bad-boy ex-boyfriend, your friendly neighborhood Midnighter.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson/Midnighter
Comments: 5
Kudos: 82





	Midnighter Sun

**Author's Note:**

> So it's canon that Dick and Midnight had a very flirtatious relationship, and it's also canon that Damian approved (quote: "Perhaps someday you can invite some of your friends from your spy days over for tea. What about the tall man in black? Will you be maintaining your friendship with him? Perhaps as flirtatious yet antagonistic pen pals?")
> 
> so my sister (writer_on_fire_01) and I just like, dialed all of that up to level 10
> 
> don't worry about the timeline, we basically took it and crushed it into tiny little smiling pieces. This exists in any timeline and every timeline simultaneously

Damian isn’t too fond of parties, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a little fun with them.

For example, Bruce Wayne is holding a party which will occur shortly--also known as, in two months. Since coming to live with his father, Damian has learned that a party-planning month compared to a regular month is like a Mercury month to it’s earthly counterpart--considerably faster.

This party, thank goodness, is different from the usual insipid Wayne galas--which Damian and his brothers would swear up and down are designed specifically to emulate the more egregious forms of torture. This party Bruce will hold as none other than the Batman; Damian will attend as none other than Robin, and Dick will attend as Nightwing. Basically, it’s a superhero gala. Like the ones cosplayers are always holding but real. Damian is reminded vaguely of Bat Burger: everybody is always dressing up as them to go to Bat Burger, so it’s a big event when the _real_ them actually have a family dinner there. It’s made extra exciting by the fact that Bruce refuses to disrespect his gastrointestinal integrity by eating their nutritionally-dubious offerings more than once a year.

“At least you don’t have to wear a suit, Little D,” Dick had told him, accompanied by a pat on the back. “I know you hate suits.” 

Damian _does_ hate suits. This does very little in the way of helping the matter.

The invitations will be sent out very soon. Though another fact Damian had learned through his cohabitation with his father is that sending invitations through the mail is the classy way to do it (and Tim, an avid Harry Potter fan, had suggested they train the bats in the Batcave to deliver mail like carrier pigeons) many of the guests on their list do not make their addresses publicly known. Therefore, Bruce will resort to email, even as his inner aristocrat cringes.

Luckily, Damian knows how to use email, too.

Finding Midnighter’s email address had constituted a tremendous effort: he’d called Barbara and asked. She’d been suspicious at first, but Damian had explained it away by claiming _I would simply like an example of how one might obtain an acquaintance’s contact information in a discreet manner._ She had caved after some pestering. 

Now, one might wonder _why_ , exactly, such an event is being held. Damian still has difficulty comprehending it himself despite the numerous interviews he had conducted of Bruce, who claims it is for the purpose of ascertaining the alliances of various vigilantes. Dick had worded it much more plainly: Batman had invited all of the morally gray weirdos to party so he can meet them, subtly interrogate them, and decide whether or not to kick their asses into next week. 

As Midnighter is a morally gray weirdo himself, Damian figures that it will take a while before anybody even notices their guest list has expanded by a factor of one. He is a bit smug, having thought up this particular stroke of genius. 

The invitation is set to be sent out on a Sunday morning at nine o-clock. At eight fifty-two, Damian adds Midnighter to the list (how he’d gained access to the restricted section of the Batcomputer is a whole other animal, especially since on principle he had refused to ask Tim for help).

Another pertinent question this whole endeavor might evoke: why does Damian want Midnighter, to whom he has never even spoken in person, to attend the party?

The answer can be summed up in one word: revenge. If two more words are added: revenge on Dick.

It all started when Dick had just returned from his stint as Agent 37. Settling back into his role as Nightwing had been a period of difficult transition, and Damian believed it was key for the two of them to work together as much as possible in the interest of rebuilding their dynamic as a team. Not because Damian missed him--perish the very thought. It was simply advantageous for all bats to maintain a healthy working relationship. 

Usually Dick, as one of the more sensible members of their family, agreed, and accepted Damian’s help on missions. However, the dynamic had been thrown for a loop on one particular mission, an unthinkable occasion on which Dick had rejected Damian’s much-needed assistance. To add insult to injury, he had gone so far as to deny Damian an explanation but for a condescending: “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

Well, time has passed since then, and factually speaking, Damian is older. Which meant it was time to do a little digging.

What he had uncovered astounded and delighted him: Dick’s relationship with the Midnighter had surpassed the status of flirtatious yet antagonistic pen pals. Indeed, it had leaned heavily to the _flirtatious_ side of the spectrum. Their continued correspondence had evolved into a romance that put Romeo and Juliet to shame (granted, this isn’t saying much, given Damian’s general disapproval of their idiocy). Beyond that, it was a better love story than _Twilight_ (which says drastically less for the same reason as above).

The mission Damian had been so harshly barred from attending? A pretense! Browsing the footage from several security cameras had revealed that the more appropriate term had been _date._ It was a date. A very broody, bromantic date, but a date all the same, involving flirting, the occasional episode of hand-holding, and entirely more ogling than Damian felt was publicly appropriate. They’d even lain on a rooftop and stared wistfully at the stars. _Textbook_ date material. Villainous asses _had_ of course been kicked that day, but first and foremost had been the romance.

Having considered this new information, Damian rescinds his offense at having been left behind. Third wheeling would have been awkward, painfully so. However, that isn’t to say Damian isn’t irked. Dick had partaken in an entire romantic relationship without even deigning to inform Damian! The outrage! The effrontery! It is unrivalled by any other offense.

His anger is increased by the knowledge that Dick and Midnighter are no longer seeing each other--a travesty of a frankly epic calibre. Damian is convinced that with his own expert help and counsel (Not that he’s ever been in a relationship, but he’s read enough American romance novels that he understands the general idea, and besides, the cobbler has no shoes) they could have remained a couple.

All of this is to say, Damian is mad at Dick for having not told him about his relationship with Midnighter. As such, revenge is in order. 

And no, Damian does not intend for Dick and Midnighter to get back together at the upcoming gala. Dick is happily settled in a relationship with Barbara Gordon, who Damian deems an acceptable substitute. No, this is simply an opportunity to embarrass Dick, an endeavor which Damian is constantly looking for opportunities to engage in. Plus, he’d like to meet the elusive Midnighter. He seems like a cool dude, not that Damian will ever say so to his face. 

On the night of the party, Dick and Damian help to set things up. Usually, Bruce would avoid this by hiring assistants--essentially just professional party hosts. This time, this is not an option, so they have decided to set things up themselves. They’ve also enlisted the help of a couple of members of the Justice League, mainly Dinah and Wally. A couple of others.

“What’s up?” Dick seems curious as he addresses Damian. “You seem strangely excited for this. That’s, like, really out of character, little bro.”

“Am I not allowed to find enjoyance in the upcoming event?” Damian rebuts. “You have encouraged my participation.”

“That’s true,” Dick admits. “I’m not upset. Just wondering who you are and what you’ve done with my brother.”

Unbeknownst to Dick, Damian has found his own means of _participation_ which he is excessively eager to be set into motion. 

“Just be glad he’s not complaining,” Dinah chimes in. She’s currently working to set up a bizarrely elaborate folding table.

Due to some lapse in judgement on Bruce’s part, the party is being held on a rooftop. Whose rooftop, Damian frankly couldn’t tell you. If he really wanted to find out, he could, but his other plans have taken priority.

It’s probably a good thing that the only party Bruce has chosen to take place on a rooftop is the one party that won’t drive Damian off of one. 

“Would you string these up for me, Damian?” asks Barbara, holding out a handful of still folded paper lanterns. “We’ll need these for when it gets dark.” 

Damian scowls. “Why must we resort to such rudimentary methods of lighting? Why must I comply?”

Barbara sighs. “Sorry, I forgot my manners. _Please_ , Damian?” 

On second thought, maybe the paper lanterns will make for a more romantic environment, which will maximize the awkwardness between Dick and Midnighter. 

“Okay,” says Damian, no longer feeling inclined to put up a fight.

“Well, that was easy,” Barbara comments once she thinks Damian is out of earshot. “Is… is he okay?”

“I don’t know,” Dick mutters back darkly.

Damian strings up the paper lanterns with the dubiously effective help of Wally, who for all his enthusiasm, is just on this side of becoming a hindrance. Normally he would locate Dick and demand a new partner, but tonight he is willing to compromise.

Finally, after what feels like an offensively long time, the guests begin to arrive. Midnighter is, of course, fashionably late. Damian would expect nothing less from a partner of Nightwing--if Damian hadn’t been hosting the damn thing, he’d have been fashionably late himself.

At first, Dick doesn’t notice him. In fact, he doesn’t notice much. He’s too distracted by Barbara. For the first few minutes he avoids social interaction with anyone other than his girlfriend via the tried and true method of being disgustingly adorable, but when that technique loses efficacy, he begins making polite chit-chat with the partygoers. 

“Huntress.” Dick greets her with a false enthusiasm that’s indicative of dangerously high levels of social awkwardness. Little does he know this is just the appetizer when it comes to ex-encounters. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

Huntress looks extremely bored. “Yeah, yeah,” she mutters. “I brought Josh.”

Damian hadn’t even noticed the pimply man grinning besides her. He looks like he should be a teenager, though he’s clearly not if Huntress is involved with him.

“Hi, I’m Josh,” says Josh.

“We know,” says Huntress.

“Sorry.” Josh stays quiet after this, apparently content with clinging to Huntress’s arm. 

“Nice to meet you, Josh,” says Dick politely. “Would the two of you like a drink?”

Huntress considers. “I was going to just let the Bat do his intimidating evaluation thing and then get out of here.”

Of course she sees the real intention of the party.

“I’ll take a drink,” says Josh hopefully.

“Shut up, Josh,” says Huntress. 

_What a romance,_ thinks Damian.

“Tell me, Josh,” says Damian, “I’m fascinated. How did you initiate a romantic relationship with such a fine female specimen as the Huntress?” 

Josh grins, tightening his hold on Huntress. “Well, me and Baby-Boots have actually been goin’ out for a while now.” 

Huntress groans. “Bribery,” she says. 

“Well, it was nice talking to you,” says Dick with a polite nod, clearly intent on leaving. Barbara, who has sat beside him with a smile throughout the interaction, is clearly okay with this decision. Huntress simply grunts in response. Such a social butterfly.

Two of the other vigilantes Batman has invited include Savant and Creote, who interest Damian quite a bit. He’s never actually met them up until now, but rumor has it they’d done quite a number on Dinah during one particularly gruesome incident of torture. They have, apparently, turned over a new leaf and are now working with Barbara.

They’ve both got man-ponytails and are obnoxiously buff. Damian suspects that the latter is intended to cancel out the former. 

Speaking of questionable hair decisions and enormous muscles, Midnighter chooses that moment to make his appearance. Dick and Barbara run into him, almost literally, on their way to the drink table.

“‘Wing,” greets Midnighter. “How’ve you been, kid?”

Dick freezes and Damian, being privy to the deeper meaning of his brother’s facial expressions, sees the utter horror on Nightwing’s face. “Midnighter, hey,” he says in a brave attempt at keeping his cool.

Barbara glances curiously between them. “You guys know each other?” she asks.

“Nope,” says Dick, faster than a bolt of lightning.

“Oh, we know each other, alright,” Midnighter interrupts suggestively, rendering Dick’s attempts at denial useless. He grins. “He and I used to--”

“ _Go on missions together!”_ Dick shouts, just in time to make the save. “A couple years ago,” he explains, trusting that Barbara will catch his meaning. His stint as Agent 37 is not public knowledge, but because Damian knows that Barbara knows everything, it’s clear that’s what he’s alluding to.

Just then, Midnighter adopts a look of delight. “This your girlfriend?” he asks, gesturing towards Barbara.

“Yes--no--uh,” answers Dick helpfully.

Barbara gives him a raised-eyebrow look of utmost contempt. “Yes,” she corrects. “And I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”

“In general, or--? Because I mean I don’t tell you _everything_ I do, that would take way too long. But if you want me to, we can start with, uh, I had cereal for breakfast, and water because Agent A says I drink too much coffee, and then--”

“You know what I mean.”

Dick sighs, defeated. Then crosses his arms. “Well anyways,” he announces loudly to Midnighter, “We were just leaving--”

“I thought you were helping host the party,” Midnighter points out.

“Uh, headache?”

Barbara glares at Dick shrewdly. “Would that or would that not explain why you’re blushing? You’re acting like you just ran into your ex--oh my god.”

“Barbara, no!” Dick exclaims desperately just as Damian thinks to himself, _Barbara yes!_

A slow grin is spreading across Barbara’s face. “You’re telling me, right now, that Midnighter was not your boyfriend at some point.”

“Boyfriend isn’t the word I’d use,” Dick and Midnighter say at the same time, and Dick facepalms, horrified.

“I mean,” Midnighter clarifies, “we were never all that into labels. Except for his asscheeks. Those, we labelled Jim and Juan. Sadly, not my innovation.”

Barbara begins to cackle, clearly delighted. “ _That’s_ why they’re called that? I thought he just named them himself!” Damian had thought that too, and is relieved to learn that’s not the case.

Dick turns, if possible, even redder. “Obviously not,” he mutters, mortified. “That was the group of girls that… chased me shirtless through St. Hadrians.”

“Wish I could have joined them,” Midnighter sighs wistfully. 

“Headache!” Dick shouts loudly enough that everybody turns to look at him as he sprints to the doorway that leads down the building. “Or--no, shoot. Ice! I’m going to get more ice!” He puts a finger grandly into the air and, apparently having forgotten the existence of the door, takes a running leap right off of the roof.

This has gone far better than Damian had dared hope. If only he had thought to get a video… blackmail material for decades. 

Barbara gives a fond sigh as she looks wistfully over the side of the building. “That boy.” 

“Tell me about it,” Midnighter agrees. 

“Dreamy, though,” Barbara sighs. 

“Tell me about it,” says Midnighter again. “And--”

“Jim and Juan?” Barbara suggests knowingly.

Midnighter puts his head into his hands and sighs. “I miss Jim and Juan,” he tells Barbara mournfully, voice muffled.

She pats his shoulder comfortingly. “They do make up for most of his faults.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Midnighter agrees. “The roof thing. He does that concerningly often. Of course, I usually just jumped right after him. But still.”

Then, Batman, leading Catwoman to the drinks table, takes a look at Midnighter, brows furrowed. “I don’t believe I invited you,” he drawls. 

Damian takes this as his cue to follow Dick off of the roof.

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a play on the most recent Twilight book, Midnight Sun. Which I haven't read, but we made that joke about Dick and MIdnighter being a better relationship than Twilight, and then we spent like 15 minutes thinking of a title, and... yeah that happened I guess. 
> 
> Un beta'd except by ourselves for each other lol
> 
> constructive criticism welcome as always! thank you very much for commenting and kudosing! also, if you like birds of prey, check out my sister's account where she writes excellent stories with those characters! and she did a Dickbabs one as well. So that was excellent.
> 
> have a good day people!!
> 
> Also: this is the only fic on AO3 with Josh tagged. You're welcome


End file.
